Is it really that unusual not to colour your hair?

[Vallies]

I never have. I was never rebellious in my youth and as an adult have never felt the need.

This is helped (a lot) by the fact that I have that Scandinavian kind of blonde hair naturally, and that at 56 it hasn't yet started going grey. I appreciate that in different circumstances I may well have decided to colour it, but I can't be the only one. 'Everyone' seems to assume my hair is dyed, including hairdressers, on occasion!

Yup, me to. I'm too lazy - I'd colour it then not be arsed when the white roots came through so would end up looking like a badger.

I don't think it's any more an obsession than the 'embracing the grey' narrative that's constantly being pushed on here. Lots of people simply don't like grey hair.

I've never coloured mine.

Still black in my 50s, with a few white ones.

I’ve never wanted to dye mine - naturally fair, natural highlights depending how much sun it’s had. I’m 65 now, there’s a few whites at one temple but if they show at all look fine - I’d quite like a silver streak in the gold. And it’s straight so just needs a simple trim … maybe it’ll grow up someday but it must have saved me a fortune over the years!

I never have done, always liked my red hair and it ages beautifully.

I only started when I had too many grey hairs to pull out. I've not ruled out "embracing the grey" but mine aren't blendable with the rest of my hair and make me look like a badger so I'll keep colouring.

I think it’s fairly unusual not to dye it if you’re over 45 or so. I’ve always highlighted mine as it’s limp and mousy without it. Obviously if you have lovely red, blonde, dark hair, or have gone grey/white in a stunning way then dyeing isn’t going to appeal so much. The younger women at work though, under about 35, none of them dye their hair, and some of them have unremarkable hair colours that at their age I’d have been tempted to dye.

You have a colour a lot of people pay money for, and if you like it you like it! However yes I feel most peoples natural colour doesn’t suit them or do a lot for them. I’m naturally blonde but always looked too washed out with my pale skin too, so went black and gothic and have always felt more like me.

I think it’s that people don’t want to look a lot older than they are and be perceived as elderly when they’re not. Just as people don’t want to be seen as very young.

I coloured it in my late 20s for fun and soon grew that out. But due to the fact I started getting grey hairs very young and as I had dark brown hair, they tended to show up, for years I just coloured it my natural colour using box dyes. Maybe about 10 years ago my hairdresser suggested blond highlights as I had a swathe of grey on the top of my head that would reshow every 3 weeks - I had never thought of going blonde before this but this meant the greys got mostly covered and blended in much better. I now only have them done twice a year, and occasionally use home dye in between. And having older skin, blond is kinder than dark brown (still miss the glossy look though). And most, but not all, of my dark brown hair has now gone - due to odd distribution, I think it would look very odd if I ever grew it all out.

So it's not really a choice I love, more about looking as good as I can for my age.

Never coloured mine. It’s dark almost black with strands of auburn. Now I’m older it’s streaked with soft grey and I LOVE it

I’ve been colouring my hair (bright colours) since I was 14 and I’m not planning to stop now I’m in my 60’s.

Amongst my friends, I’d say only about 10% colour their hair regularly although I’m the only one with bright purple hair. 😆

You don’t colour your hair because you haven’t felt you needed to.
Most people colour their hair because they want to change its colour or cover grey. You have naturally blonde hair that you’re happy with and no grey at 56. This isnt usual so people will assume you’ve dyed your hair to achieve what you’ve had.

Mine is like you describe yours. I can see it is going grey but it’s just white strands in the already multicoloured blonde so it looks nice I would not colour it but it looks like I do and everyone thinks I do

I’m mid fifties with very dark hair going grey - I’m too lazy and not willing to spend the money or time on regular dying . I’m not afraid of aging or looking older - I also don’t wear makeup . I’m happy in my own skin.

My mother used to assume mine was dyed ffs

and her eyesight is fading as my grey becomes clearer

I’m nearly 50 and don’t have any greys but I’m not bothered when I do get them. I think I’d suit all grey.

I’ve only once disastrously coloured my hair. I wear it short and choppy and my hairdresser convinced me to try highlights and I hated it. Looked like a bad 1980s footballer. And I had my natural hair colour put back on top the next day. I’m 55. I had mousy brown hair. Started going white in my late 30s just at the front. Now almost completely white with some grey. I couldn’t deal with colouring all the time, and the expense, so I’ve just left it. People tell me all the time how brave I am - I’ve always kind of read that as code for ‘I could never do that!’ But I genuinely don’t care. I’m fine with how it looks! If anything the white and grey hair makes my skin look younger as I really don’t have wrinkles - yet!

I've had greys since I was a teenager, now at 45 I probably have as much grey as mouse. I couldn't care less, in fact I can't wait for it all to go white.
I have so many allergies that adding unnecessary chemicals to my head probably isn't a good idea, and I have far more important things to do than faf with root touch ups regularly.
Everyone says going grey makes you look old, personally I think that pooly coloured hair on someone who is clearly not that shade is far more aging than going au natural.

If I were you , I’d not dye. You are in a perfect situation with a Scandinavian complexion and your hair probably looks quite beautiful with fair and silver streaks. I am Mediterranean (and Mediterranean looking), so very different , and yet stopped dying my hair at around 43. I don’t think It is that unusual not to dye your hair in England. In Italy it absolutely is very highly unusual and people frown upon it (I reserve my comment here for politeness)

Based on this thread I think it’s unusual now never to have tried hair dye at all. I don’t think my mother ever did but she was born in the 30s and when she was growing up it was still considered something whores did, or at least very tacky. She was an adult by the time it started being acceptable via Hollywood. But yes, I certainly tried out Toners and Shaders and even Sun In once I think, plus a couple of packets of henna from the Body Shop (went to uni with light orange hair as a result.)

At 49 and widowed I just suddenly thought I looked drab as hell and had a half head of mixed highlights done, and I like it and can afford it so I’ve done it ever since. I don’t know what the proportion is at my age (late 50s) but I would guess maybe around a third to a half?

It doesn’t take much thinking to understand why a hairdresser would think the proportion was higher though.

I am nearly 68 with some white hairs, but it is distributed, comes and goes and so shows up more as sparkling rather than white.
Hair is mid brown with various other natural tones. I have light and dark highlights, in colours/tone already in my natural hair colour, once a quarter, but that is it.
Recently had an interesting conversation with my hairdresser about dyeing, he is dead against as it looks unnatural and needs a lot of maintenance. Also pepole tend to go for a colour they like rather than what suits their skin tone etc., so it is easy to spot.

I experimented with highlights and low lights when I was younger then moved on to covering my grey. I had naturally very dark brown hair and started going grey in my early twenties. Over ten years ago I grew out the dye because the contrast at the roots was becoming noticeable a week to ten days after colouring. I have had so many compliments on my naturally grey hair. My own mother thought I had highlights done - I don't. It is completely different when you have dark hair as the colour shift is much more pronounced.

I did as a teen and early twenties but then I stopped as it seemed a bit silly when I had no need to. I am naturally dark brown and will no doubt feel I have to when I go grey, so I thought I’d give myself a break.

I can’t imagine getting caught up in a dye routine as I am very lazy (I just wash and dry my hair, all one length, no false nails / pedis / fake tan blah blah) but I’m sure I will at some point.

I never have either. Mine has gone from brunette to blonde, though. A new friend called me Blondie and I was quite taken aback. Eyebrows are white, so have discovered the joy of tinted gel. Eyelashes still dark.